King-Slayer’s Feast

Lord Arvid was the first to greet us when we returned.

“Hail the champion who dealt the mortal blow to the tyrant king!” he said.

We were rushed into the main tent and told to give a report of the action we had faced. Lord Arvid was fascinated with the details of the fight, slapping his knee occasionally when Boreas was hurt.

“Good fun, good fun. Commendable effort all around.”

“Thank you for the kind words, Lord Arvid,” Marisa said.

“So, I’ll uphold my end of the bargain. The divine sword is now yours, Ferdinand.”

Lord Arvid fetched the sword from a stand and presented it to me. Holding it in my hand, the sword was light and sturdy. I gave it a few practice swings and there was some heft to it. I wondered what dormant, magical properties it contained.

“Thanks. It’s a good sword.”

“Indeed? Take good care of it,” he said, pointing at me then cracking a smile. “Ferdinand the Giant Slayer. Has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say? Or perhaps you would prefer King Slayer?”

“If it’s all the same to you, neither. I’d rather not be remembered for killing someone.”

“No?” He shook his head. “So what if it was a cheap shot? Boreas knew he was not immune to the wheels of fate. It was a good and moral death. We kill and we kill some more out here on the frontier. You best sharpen your senses, lest you have no desire to return home.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, Lord Arvid,” I said with a respectful bow.

“Ach, enough of this talk. Our ancestral lands will soon be reclaimed. Now is a time for celebration! Quartermaster! Tonight we feast.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. We need to continue our journey for the next divine object.”

“Nonsense, Ferdinand, that business can wait. Besides, you are low on supplies and vigor. Rest! I command you.” He patted my shoulder and then went off to make preparations for the feast.

That evening the entire war camp was electric. All the sylphs were in a jovial mood. We were given seats of honour next to Lord Arvid at the head table where every few minutes a different sylph would come up and shake our hands while expressing his or her gratitude for what we had done for them. It was an exhausting affair.

“I hope you really gave those frost giants a good fight,” is what some would say while others would say, “Your deeds will be told for eternity in song and story.”

When a suitable lull in the festivities happened, Lord Arvid leaned over and asked us, “So whose idea was it to challenge King Boreas to a contest?”

“It was Marisa’s,” I said. “Though I don’t know what she was thinking. If he lost, there was no way Boreas would leave.”

“Indeed he would for he was bound to the terms of the competition,” Marisa shot back.

“Please. You saw that frost giant. There wasn’t an honest bone in his body.”

“Frost giant he may be, but he was oath bound. O I know things are unalike to your own world, Sir Human, but word and duty have weight here. We do not flee on the backs of buzzards at the smallest troubles.”

“Duty? Yeah, please tell me more about duty, High Priestess. Or perhaps I should ask your mother? Maybe duty in this world should start by letting me in on its plans!”

Marisa went red in the face and her eyes wide. Now I had done it. She stood up from her chair and pointed at me.

“Luna, kill him right now.”

Luna took a moment to respond, sipping some milk from her saucepan. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, my Lady.”

“You, you...Aaargh!”

She stormed off. None of the sylphs seemed to notice what had happened. I could hear Lord Arvid laughing hysterically.

“You two fight like cats and dogs. Are you positive you’re travelling companions?” he asked, nudging me.

I could only respond with a heavy sigh. The rest of the festival passed without incident. 

As I lay in bed, all the only person I could think about was Marisa and how silly she had acted. Should I be the be the bigger man and apologize? Some part of me believed that Marisa was resentful of being put in the role of my caretaker, so she was looking for any excuse to fight and vent her frustration. Yet, am I not too old to be getting into stupid arguments like this!? What a ridiculous situation. Death was lurking around every corner. I don’t know how I was going to complete two more trials at this rate.

The next morning we were resupplied as Lord Arvid had promised and then sent on our way. The whole time Marisa refused to acknowledge me. I didn’t think elemental beings could be so petty like humans. Luna didn’t mind the awkwardness or at least found it amusing.

“Where are we going next? The fire realm or the earth realm?” I asked.

“There is another mountain chain to the northwest of here where the gnomes reside. Their leader is Duke Otto. I have never met him but gnomes can be a rude a bunch.”

We continued our journey, walking in silence with the sparse exchange between Marisa and Luna. I didn’t mind, but I would be lying if I didn’t miss talking to both of them like we used to before the battle against Boreas.

One night while lying down after the day’s journey had come to a stop, I found myself thinking back to our encounter with Boreas in his throne room. There was a name Marisa had said that I think I had heard earlier. Wode. Who was this elemental being? I wanted to ask, but now wasn’t the right time. That throne room, the name, the fight, these things swarmed my mind, but they always pointed back to Marisa in some way. She had been looking out for me during that fight and I’m sure she would’ve stepped in had it looked like I was about to die. No, not just the fight, but the whole competition. She might have a little too much faith in me though. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll apologize.